Beijing, May 9:
China, for the first time, has confirmed that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during the four-day conflict with India last year, official media reports here said.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday aired an interview with Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of China’s advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle design.
Zhang had provided technical support to Pakistan during the four-day war last May, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, quoting CCTV.
Pakistan’s air force operates a fleet of Chinese-made J-10CE jets, produced by an AVIC subsidiary.
“At the support base, we frequently heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air-raid sirens.
By late morning, in May, the temperature was already approaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). It was a real ordeal for us, both mentally and physically,” Zhang said.
What drove his team was the “desire to do an even better job with on site support” and to ensure their equipment could “truly perform at its full combat potential”, Zhang told CCTV.
“That wasn’t just a recognition of the J10CE; it was also a testament to the deep bond we formed through working side by side, day in and day out,” he said.
India’s new envoy to China Vikram Doraiswami presented a copy of his credentials to Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei, the Indian embassy said on Friday.
Doraiswami’s appointment comes amid efforts by India and China to rebuild relations that came under severe strain following the military standoff in eastern Ladakh in April 2020, which stretched on for four years.
Ambassador Doraiswami on Thursday presented a copy of his credentials to Assistant Foreign Minister and Director-General of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Hong Lei, in Beijing, the Indian Embassy said in a post on X.
Doraiswami also took part in the commemoration ceremony of Operation Sindoor’s first anniversary held at the embassy on Thursday.